Production of organic compounds containing oxygen



Patented Jan. 14, 1930 PAUL HEROLD AND HELLMUTH LANGHEINRICH, 01? NEUROSSEN, GERMANY, ASSIGN- ORS TO I. G. FARBENINDUSTRIE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT,

CORPORATION OF GERMANY MAIN, GERMANY, A

PRODUCTION OF ORGANIC COMPOUNDS CONTAINING OXYGEN No Drawing. Application filed November 8, 1927, Serial No. 231,986, and in Germany November 15-, 1926.

It is already known that carbon monoxid can be reduced to hydrocarbons by means 0 hydrogen, at ordinary pressure and at an elevated temperature, in the presence of catalysts containing iron, nickel or cobalt, carbon dioxid and water being thereby formed as by-products.

We have now found that organic compounds containing oxygen are also obtained, either alone or in conjunction with hydrocarbons, by reducing oxids of carbon with hydrogen under diminished, ordinary or \slightly elevated pressure up to about 20 atmospheres and at an elevated temperature, if the operation be carried out below 300 centigrade, the catalyst employed consisting of iron containing small additions of alkalis or alkaline earths (which we hereinafter refer to collectively as oxids of alkali forming metals) or compounds of the same having an alkaline reaction and being used alone or in conjunction with other substances, carriers or activating substances such for example as copper. The resulting products are partly solid, and partly liquid and gaseous. In contrast to the conditions in the production of hydrocarbons alone, less water and more carbon dioxid are formed, and merely traces o the lower members of the paraflin series of hydrocarbons are produced.

The solid products are yellow to yellowish brown in color and-contain. besides white paraffin melting at about 65 centigrade brown, viscous resins containing oxygen.

The liquid portions have a yellow green to yellow brown colour and boil at approximately between 40 and 200 centigrade. They,.too, contain paraffins. Their'specific gravity is 0.7 4-080 and their bromine value about 0.250.45. The oxygen is contained in amounts up to about 10 per cent. The water of condensation contains alcohol and, in addition to carbon dioxid, organic acids volatilizable by steam.

The following examples will furtlier illusfurnishes yellowish green trate how the said invention may be carried into practical effect but the invention is not limited to the examples.

E wample 1 Ferric oxid, obtained by precipitating ferric nitrate with ammonia, and carefully washed and dried at 350 centigrade is impregnated with an aqueous solution-of 0.75 per cent of potassium hydroxid, and re-dried. After the catalyst has been reduced with hydrogen at 850 centigrade for 36 hours, a mixture of carbon monoxid and hydrogen, containing 60 per cent of the latter, is passed over it at 200 centigrade.

solid'prodncts containing 2.2 per cent of oxygen and melting at from 54 to 57 centigrade; a yellow brown oily product with 17.8 per cent of oxygen and having the density 0.767, and an aqueous solution, with a strongly acid reaction requiring 2 cc. of decinormal NaOH per cubic centimetre for neutralization, and containing volatile organic acids.

E wample 2 An aqueous solution containing ferric nitrates and cupric nitrate in the molecular ratio 2:1 is precipitated with dilute caustic soda solution, and the precipitate is washed until it is free from nitrate, but. still contains 0.32 per cent of NaOH when dried. The catalyst is reduced with hydrogen for 64 hours at 350 centigrade, and over it is then assed a mixture of carbon monoxid and hydrogen containing about 60 per cent of the latter at 200 centigrade. Products similar to those specified in Example 1 are obtained.

What we claim is:

1. The process for the production of organic compounds containing oxygen, which comprises reducing oxids of carbon with hydrogen at approximately atmospheric pressure and at an elevated temperature lower than 300 C. in the presence of a catalyst com- The treatment amounts of a comprising iron and small 'ng metals having pound of the alkali for an alkaline reaction.

2. In the process of claim 1 the employment'of a catalyst also contaimng copper.

3. The process for the production of organic compounds containing oxygen, which comprises passing a mixture of car 11 monoxid and hydrogen, containing about 60 per cent of the latter, at 200 C. .over a catal st grepared from precipitated ferric oxid which 88 been care ly washed, and dried, and then impregnated with an aqueous solution of 0.75 per cent (of the weight of ferric oxid) of potasium hydroxid, redried and thereupon reduced with hydrogen at 350 C.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

PAUL HEROLD. HELLMUTH LAN GHEINRICH. 

